


Spirits Under the Stars

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Video Game), The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Grief, Light Angst, Missing Scene, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:00:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28189593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Their spirits having been freed by Link, Hyrule’s Champions meet again after 100 years and watch over him for just one night.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 95





	Spirits Under the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been too soft recently here’s some light angst for spice
> 
> also bc I love the champions
> 
> kudos/comments always appreciated

For once, Hyrule was quiet. It was a clear night, with no clouds in the sky and the moon full and bright. A small breeze whipped by, rustling the grass and the leaves in the trees.

The Champions quietly wished they could feel that breeze upon their skin yet again - but for now, seeing nature was quite enough. Being trapped within their Divine Beasts for a century would make anyone miss the wild - even run ragged with monsters, it was still their home.

Link had freed each of the Champions from their Beasts, and now they stood together, glad to see each other once again. They gathered together to pity the living, not themselves; the boy with so much pressure on his shoulders and the young princess trapped with the monster and only her power to keep her going for a century. They greeted each other, glad to see friendly faces, surprised that their spirits had somehow connected yet again, but grateful nonetheless. Even Revali, who was adamant about his disdain for the boy, had come to watch over him.

Unaware of his old friends’ presence, the hero with the sword who would seal the darkness sat beside a campfire, watching the embers swirl into the night sky through half-lidded eyes. He leaned against a tree trunk, said sword laying right beside him in case he would need it, an elbow resting on a bent knee. He looked to be near-collapse, and yet, he kept his gaze steadily ahead.

“He is still that same, stubborn knight we knew all those years ago,” Urbosa spoke fondly after some quiet, placing a hand on her hip.

Daruk shook his head a little, his chains rattling together as he placed a thoughtful hand in his beard. “I wish he’d take better care of himself. Little guy should know his limits by now.”

“I don’t see the problem. He was asleep for a  _ hundred years _ . He’s the chosen one, is he not? Why should he be resting now?” Revali, of course, was displeased as usual, waving a wing dismissively at their claims of worry.

“Oh, please, Revali. He freed your spirit, the least you can do is allow the boy some rest,” the Gerudo warrior hissed, glaring at him for a moment before turning her gaze to Mipha. The princess was walking slowly toward the knight, who still could not see them. She knelt beside him, placing her translucent hand over his forehead.

“Sleep, now. You will be safe with us here.” Her voice was soft and held a note of sadness. The Champions watched as Link lay his head against the back of the trunk, his eyes falling shut almost immediately, as if her voice had put him in a trance. Perhaps it was just her presence that had calmed him enough. She slowly stood back up, watching him rest, finally relaxed after days of fighting. She turned her gaze upward, then slowly walked back to stand beside her friends.

The only sound for a long while was the rustle of the breeze and the boy’s soft, even breaths. There was an air of sadness. They were free, but Link could only remember bits and pieces about them - he was alone now, to fight the monster that had taken their lives. It was a sadness that cut deep, that surprised them; how spirits could yearn harder than they had when they were alive. How Urbosa wished she could hold him and Zelda once more, how Daruk wished he could share another meal with that little guy, how Mipha just wished she could see him  _ smile _ , and how even Revali wished he could train with him once again.

Most of all, they wished for peace.

Peace for Hyrule, and peace for the princess and her knight. The Champions had died for a reason - and if it meant that Link and Zelda would succeed, that they would one day be happy - they were just fine with that.

They stood together in silence, for no words could truly express what they were feeling, what they had been feeling for the past century. Quietly, Mipha reached for Urbosa’s hand, then Revali’s wing. The Rito warrior groaned but did not pull away, and Urbosa smiled, then took hold of Daruk's hand. He gave her one of his signature smiles, but it didn’t reach his eyes. They would forever be bound together, but until they saw Calamity Ganon’s defeat, they would not move on.

“It is almost time,” the Zora princess whispered, turning her gaze back to Link, still sleeping soundly. To an unsuspecting eye, he would just look like any other normal boy. But he was much more than that. “He will soon take on Calamity Ganon once again.”

“And this time, we’ll be there to back him up,” Daruk responded, nodding solemnly as he followed her gaze forward.

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Revali placed his free wing on his hip. “He won’t fail, not this time. Not with our help.”

Urbosa found herself grinning a little, watching the breeze move Link’s bangs gently. They didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. He was at peace, for now. “That’s right.” They stood there for a long while, the silence more comfortable this time around. When the sky slowly began to lighten, she broke the silence. “We should be going. He will wake soon and resume his quest. We must be ready when the time comes.”

The three of them nodded their agreement, though none of them quite wanted to leave each other. But they had to put that selfish need aside - for the sake of Hyrule and for the sake of their friends.

Revali was the first to fly off, disappearing back to Vah Medoh in a wisp of smoke. Daruk gave the other two a brief smile and thumbs-up, looking as if he wanted to say something more before thinking better of it. And then he, too, was gone in a flash of green. Urbosa placed a hand on Mipha’s shoulder, giving her a nod, and then she disappeared.

The Zora princess, now left alone, took one last look at the boy under the tree. Her eyes burned, but tears could not fall from a spirit’s eyes. Instead, she closed them for a moment, then allowed herself to return to Vah Ruta.

As the sun began to rise on a new day in Hyrule, the hero blinked his eyes open blearily, surprised to have slept through the night without any monster attacks or dreams of old memories. Feeling more rested than he had in weeks, Link sheathed his sword and got to his feet. Staring at Hyrule Castle in the distance, knowing that the Divine Beasts and their Champions were ready to help him fight, he clenched his jaw.

It was time to end this century-long battle.


End file.
